The current invention relates to infusion devices, specifically to peripheral intravenous (IV) catheters. In particular, the invention relates to a flushable peripheral IV catheter assembly having features to enable selective activation of fluid flow through the catheter assembly.
Catheters are commonly used for a variety of infusion therapies. For example, catheters are used for infusing fluids, such as normal saline solution, various medicaments, and total parenteral nutrition, into a patient, withdrawing blood from a patient, or monitoring various parameters of the patient's vascular system.
Catheters and/or needles are typically coupled to a catheter adapter to enable attachment of IV tubing to the catheter. Thus, following placement of the catheter or needle into the vasculature of a patient, the catheter adapter is coupled to a fluid source via a section of IV tubing. In order to verify proper placement of the needle and/or catheter in the blood vessel, the clinician generally confirms that there is “flashback” of blood in a flashback chamber of the catheter assembly.
Once proper placement of the catheter is confirmed, the clinician must then attach the catheter adapter to a section of IV tubing, or continue to manually occlude the vein to prevent undesirable exposure to blood. The process of coupling the catheter adapter to the section of IV tubing requires the clinician to awkwardly maintain pressure on the vein of the patient while simultaneously coupling the catheter adapter and the IV tubing. A common, yet undesirable practice is to permit blood to temporarily and freely flow from the catheter adapter while the clinician locates and couples the IV tubing to the catheter adapter. Another common practice is to attach the catheter adapter to the IV tubing prior to placing the needle or catheter into the vein of the patient. While this method may prevent undesirable exposure to blood, positive pressure within the IV line may also prevent desirable flashback.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a catheter assembly that permits desirable flashback without the risk of encountering undesirable exposure to blood. Such a catheter assembly is disclosed herein.